With just two games remaining in the 2018 Caribbean Premier League, all four finalists are still alive in the competition as we approach tomorrow’s eliminator. The Tallawahs and Patriots will lock horns in a bid for a spot in the second qualifier against the Knight Riders who went down to the Amazon Warriors in the first qualifier not long ago.

In six seasons of CPL, the Jamaica Tallawahs have never fallen short of the playoffs which is an unbelievable stat in itself, although funnily enough the Knight Riders and Amazon Warriors also hold the same accolade. Needless to say, Jamaica could add another piece of silverware to their trophy cabinet which already contains two others. For a team that’s been so dominant with the bat, they’ve done surprisingly well with the ball this year. Credit has to go to fast bowling duo Oshane Thomas and Andre Russell, both seamers finished in the top four leading wicket takers of the tournament and were an extremely vital asset to this Tallawahs outfit in CPL18. Both Krishmar Santokie and Samuel Badree seem to have fallen out of favour for Jamaica in 2018 which is a bit of a shock, especially given that Santokie was CPL17’s leading wicket taker. Jamaica has also added New Zealanders Ish Sodhi and Colin de Grandhomme which gives them even more variety with the ball. With the willow, both Glenn Phillips and Rovman Powell have been the standouts so far in the tournament with some destructive onslaughts at the crease, skipper Andre Russell was red-hot early but dropped off soon after that unbeaten 121 against Trinbago. There’s been plenty to highlight in this area of the game for the Tallawahs in CPL18, International stars Ross Taylor and David Miller have been fantastic additions to a team that already possessed a significant amount of batting talent. This match could spell the end for the Patriots who have had some major issues with their top order batting, and to make matters worse they haven’t exactly been dynamic with the ball this season which could burst the game wide open if Jamaica’s batting order finds their range.

St Kitts & Nevis don’t look like a team worthy of the playoffs this season, if they happen to advance to the second qualifier I’ll be lost for words. It’s been a tale of inconsistencies for the Patriots in CPL18, nothing seems to have clicked whether it be the team chemistry or on field performances, they just can’t find a way to get out of first gear. A classic example of this would be their destructive & highly rated opening batting combination. While Chris Gayle has been good in patches maintaining an average of 32.12 for the tournament, he’s been far from his usual self which usually makes him the biggest X factor in the league. His opening partner is another who’s fallen into a deep hole this season, Evin Lewis has been arguably the most disappointing player in the entire competition having scored just 112 runs from nine matches. Another key factor in the Patriots scrapping-game style almost certainly revolves around the amount of all-rounders they’ve been playing each match. Not always a certainty to perform with the bat, St Kitts & Nevis have experienced the full brunt of that with the likes of Chris Gayle and Devon Thomas left to try and make something of their innings. It seemed a handy prospect in terms of the endless bowling options, on the flip side they’ve paid a hefty price in the batting department. Although not the most dominant fast bowler in CPL18, Australia’s Ben Cutting has been highly-serviceable for St Kitts & Nevis this season claiming 10 wickets and proving to be a handy striker with the willow. It’s extremely difficult to see the Patriots containing Jamaica with the ball, the Tallawahs batting line-up has significant batting depth with the likes of Russell and de Grandhomme featuring in the lower order. Cross your fingers Patriots fans!

Zak Varik is an Australian columnist/writer who specializes in the sports category cricket. With over four years of experience covering all sorts of cricket tournaments around the world, Zak has gained extensive knowledge in International cricket as well as domestic.
“I’ve loved watching cricket since I was about 7 years old, my childhood hero was none other than Andrew “Roy” Symonds who probably enhanced my love of the game through the years”.
Zak is now an established writer for FCN (Fantasy Cricket News) and has also previously represented other Blogs during his time as a writer.

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